


A Shaman’s Duty

by Bluewolf458



Series: Occupational Hazard [2]
Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 03:54:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18460952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: Part of a shaman's duty is to defend his territory...





	A Shaman’s Duty

A Shaman’s Duty

Blair was thinking hard as he headed back to the loft after his 'discussion' with Jim and Simon.

He knew that both were sincere in their belief that Franco Carlotti was ruthless, and heartless with it. Both were sincere in their belief that Carlotti would accept that cops watching him could be tolerated because it was part of their job, but that he would consider the presence of someone who wasn't a cop would be some sort of insult to his... his privacy?

It was only Blair's realization that Jim was seriously concerned for his - Blair's - wellbeing that had finally made him capitulate and agree that, in return for Jim's promise that he would take no chances, he would simply head for home and stay there.

However... Blair's own promise to remain safe at home was - well - subject to a degree of interpretation. His _body_ could remain safe at home... but he doubted that Carlotti could do anything to hurt a wandering spirit, especially if that spirit was accompanied by an insubstantial wolf, and possibly even an insubstantial panther.

He lit a candle and sat cross-legged in front of it, breathing steadily. It took only a few moments for him to slide into meditation, and from meditation to remembering...

_Jim!_

He had to join Jim!

No sooner thought than accomplished. He found himself standing beside Jim's truck, aware of a faint feeling of jealousy because Megan was sitting in the seat he normally occupied - but at the same time glad that Simon had thought to partner Jim with someone.

Now... which of the nearby houses was Carlotti's? Blair concentrated, and felt a subtle pull. He followed it.

***

This was an area of large houses, each standing in the center of a big garden. Remembering what Simon had said regarding a possibly apocryphal story about Carlotti's response to someone looking over the wall to admire the flowers, Blair glanced around as he followed the pull, and mentally shook his head. Possibly a different time of year, but he wasn't impressed by the display of flowers in the wide borders. Certainly not everybody liked the same kind of flowers, and there was the look of a great deal of careful attention paid to the upkeep of the borders, but he wasn't impressed.

He reached the door and paused. His mind said _'Inside!'_ and he found himself standing inside the door, gazing at the opulent hallway in some disbelief. He'd thought William Ellison's house ostentatious - this one made William's look almost mundane.

Blair took a deep breath. Where was Carlotti, here in this massive maze of a house? The pull took him up one flight of stairs and along a corridor, through a door and into what looked like a study. There was a desk taking what could be called pride of place close to a fireplace, though at this time of year there was no fire in it; a magnificent fire screen hid the actual fireplace.

The chair on the 'working' side of the desk had the look of comfort, though the man sitting in it was clearly far from relaxed.

"You're telling me that Ellison is there, but his civilian ride-along isn't?" he was saying.

"Yes, sir," the cowed-looking man standing in front of the desk said. "It's a woman in Ellison's car with him - we think it’s probably the Australian exchange cop."

The flood of curse words was in Spanish, and Blair registered two or three that were new to him, even as he realized that the men - and woman - watching Carlotti's house were themselves under surveillance. Now how the hell had that happened? And then Blair remembered Jim's belief that Carlotti had probably blackmailed at least one cop into providing him with information.

Carlotti dismissed his underling, whose face, the moment he turned to leave, changed to an expression of relief, probably relief that in this instance Carlotti wasn't going to shoot the messenger, and Blair knew that the man was terrified of his boss. Then Blair listened as Carlotti muttered to himself, and realized that Jim and Simon had been right. Carlotti had planned to launch an attack on Jim's car that night, planned to kidnap Blair and probably leave him permanently disabled, as a punishment for the police daring to watch him, daring to attempt to control his actions, possibly even daring to arrest him and charge him with what they called criminal behavior and he himself called taking advantage of those people who didn't have the sense to know that when something sounded too good to be true, it probably was.

It was also clear that Jim had been right when he said that Carlotti - reluctantly - accepted that cops who kept an eye on him were simply doing their job. Carlotti had the sense to understand that if he got a reputation as someone who attacked, even killed, cops, his life as a free man would be limited. But if he victimized a civilian employee who worked at the PD - especially if he got some of his men to do the attacking - he would be sending a message to the cops.

Blair grinned to himself, aware that in his current insubstantial state he was aware of so much about what motivated Franco Carlotti.

The man was basically insecure, and using ruthlessness with the men he paid to work for him to hide that, making the men who worked for him fear him while getting them to do his dirty work, making them think that if they didn't, whatever he had decreed for his planned victim would happen to them.

But he was aware of more. He had realized almost immediately after entering the house that he had been accompanied on his spirit walk by two animals - his own wolf and Jim's panther. Now he looked at them, knowing their thoughts.

 _/This man must die./_ It was a canine/feline chorus.

Blair knew that they were right. If Carlotti had been a genuinely strong character who used his strength of purpose to control his men, he would have been less dangerous.

As Shaman of the Great City it was Blair’s responsibility to pass judgement on this criminal who didn't have the guts to do any of his own dirty work, but preferred to terrorize others into doing it for him, and he used random victimization to maintain control. Blair knew that it would be possible, even easy, to frighten Carlotti to death.

He concentrated for a moment and knew that he was becoming visible... and that Carlotti would see him as a 'ghost'. And he was aware that wolf and panther were also becoming visible beside him.

Panther opened his mouth in a wide yawn that Blair knew Carlotti saw as a snarling threat.

"Who... who... what are you?" Carlotti stammered.

Blair smiled - a gentle, apparently understanding smile. "Justice," he said. "You know the reputation you have in Cascade as an apparently ruthless, undefeatable man. Even your own men fear what you might order to have done to them. You have made a career out of ordering the disabling of the innocent for the most marginal of 'crimes' against you. I was to have been one of those, because although I am a civilian I work with the police, and you thought to use me as a weapon against the police. But I am defended by my friends here." He indicated the animals standing, one on each side of him. "And, Mr. Carlotti, I am the Shaman of this community. It is my duty to defend my community against those who, like you, seek to damage it. It is my duty to condemn you to death." And he smiled quietly to himself, knowing that Jim would never realize just how ruthless his civilian partner could be.

He stood back and wolf and panther stalked forward, two predators in hunting mode. Together they leaped into Carlotti's chest. The man clutched at his chest for a moment, opened his mouth as if to cry out, and then collapsed.

After a moment, first the wolf, then the panther, stepped out of the man's chest. _/It is done,/_ wolf said.

Blair nodded, and the three, once again completely invisible, drifted away from the house. A moment's concentration took Blair back to where his body sat in a meditational pose in front of a candle that was now only half the length it had been. The spirit walk had taken rather longer than he had thought.

Quietly, Blair stretched, blew out the candle, then went to the fridge looking for anything he could salvage for a meal. Not finding anything, he shrugged, took some pasta from its jar, and as it boiled began to prepare some cheese sauce.

***

Once he had eaten he washed up, then settled down with a book about Machu Picchu that he had bought the previous day. A gentle touch on his leg made him look sideways. Wolf was lying beside him, its head resting on his leg.  Panther was lying on the couch beyond wolf, a satisfied look on his face. Blair smiled at them both. "You did well tonight," he told them softly. "It's just a pity we have to leave our friends mounting surveillance on a house where the master criminal is dead. But as far as Jim is concerned, we weren't there tonight; we were here, relaxing, and - to Jim's mind - safe. But if we have to do something like that again... we will. Right?"

And the two answering growls said clearly, _/Right!/_


End file.
